Sisters in Arms

Maria Ziesche (Photo Courtesy of HelloGiggles.com).

Each week, we take the opportunity to highlight inspiring women who are doing meaningful work for their communities. We’re proud of the “Women Working to Good” series because it gives us the chance to spotlight women whose stories might not otherwise be told; ordinary Americans who are taking it upon themselves to help us win the future. President Obama describes these individuals as “quiet heroes.” In this week's edition of Women Working to Do Good we meet Maria Ziesche, photographer and videographer, who filmed a recent trip to Colombia while working to advance social justice in support young children. The author, Maria's older sister, talks about the experience of working for a cause near and dear to her heart alongside her sister:

I had been to Colombia two previous times with an organization called Children Beyond Our Borders and was psyched that Maria was joining me on my third trip last summer. On the trip we worked to empower children affected by armed conflict and social injustice.  Despite her limited Spanish Maria developed some of the strongest bonds between volunteer and child that I have ever see. A lot of it had to do with her naturally caring personality and adorable smile, but she was also able to relate to the children through photography.  They were constantly clinging to her to see their own faces on the LCD screen of her camera.  

William Shakespeare once wrote in Hamlet, “A ministering angel shall my sister be.” He could have taken the words right out of Maria’s sister’s mouth. Read the full story at HelloGiggles.com, and be sure to check out the video below. 

Crossing Borders Service Trip 2012 from Maria Ziesche.

Read more about Women Working to Do Good: 

• Rising to the Occasion
• Passion and Perseverance
• Faith and Pride
• Breaking the Silence
• Moxie Maven
• Turning the Page on Illiteracy
• Juggling Many Arts
• Notes of Hope
• Painting a New Picture of DC
• Canine Compassion
• She ”Shoots”, She Scores
• Feeding the Body and Mind
• Opening Up Opportunities
• A Voice for Change
• Embodying Confidence
• Letters From the Heart
• A Hug Around the World

Ronnie Cho is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.